


little celebrations

by narukamiyu



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, Persona 5 Spoilers, Post-Canon, Slow Burn, not compliant to p5r
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:07:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21957115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/narukamiyu/pseuds/narukamiyu
Summary: After years of believing Akechi to be gone, Ren sees him again on his university campus.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 7
Kudos: 81





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [akc](https://archiveofourown.org/users/akc/gifts).



> happy christmas to my friend blaise <3

Somehow, against the will of the universe, they meet again. 

Ren hadn’t expected to see him like this, across a crowd of people on a busy university campus. For a second, he wonders if he is imagining things: a phantom of the past come to visit him during finals? Maybe he does need to get some more sleep, as Morgana insists.

Then Akechi smiles at him. It’s not quite the one that he puts on for public appearance, but it’s not the one that he’s given Ren in their meetups before everything went to hell, either. Ren doesn’t know what his sudden appearance means, but then he realizes that he can _ask_. Akechi is right there, and if he just pushes past this crowd that _just won’t go away…_

He slips away again. Ren doesn’t know if he’s disappointed or relieved.

* * *

Sitting in Leblanc gives him a sense of nostalgia, even though he frequents the cafe every now and then whenever he’s in the area. He supposes that it’s a side effect of having lived here, having made it his home.

Ann is next to him, sipping on a cup of coffee. Their breakup was amicable, and she has remained one of his closest friends. That’s why he knows that she’ll either set him straight or help him through it when he tells her.

“I saw Akechi on campus last week.”

She sets the cup down and takes a deep breath. Ren has mulled over this for an entire week, only deciding to put it into words now that finals are over. When Ann looks at him, her eyes are full of concern. “Akechi is dead, Ren.”

His heart sinks. He knows this, and he’s known it for a few years now. The facts won’t change because his brain suddenly decided that he missed an old...friend? He can’t even describe properly what Akechi was to him.

But then Ann gets a thoughtful look on her face. “Do you think there’s a possibility that he survived? We always hoped, but…”

That’s the chance he needs, and he’s grateful to Ann for giving it to him. “Yes,” he says firmly. The Akechi that he saw was real.

Ann nods and smiles at him encouragingly. “Then we’ll find him.”

He loves her. Even after all this time, she knows what he really wants in the depths of his heart.

* * *

The Phantom Thieves have a reunion on Christmas Eve. The steady snowfall is piling on the ground, and Futaba gleefully nails Yusuke on the back with a snowball.

“Do you really want to start this fight?” Yusuke asks skeptically, shaking himself off. Futaba calls him a coward, and the battle begins. Futaba somehow gets Makoto on her side, which proves to be disastrous for the other team. Ryuji and Ann are trying to wrestle each other onto the snow while Haru giggles at their antics and launches a snowball into their midst, causing even more conflict. Meanwhile, Morgana complains about the cold and urges Ren to hurry inside the cabin that they’d rented for the holiday.

All in all, Ren is content. He _is_ getting a bit cold, so he strides into the cabin, hangs up his coat, and prepares mugs of hot cocoa for everyone. Within ten minutes, everyone is inside and warming up.

The jollity is replaced by a serious atmosphere, and Ryuji breaks the silence first. “You said that Akechi is alive.”

Ren glances around the table. All of their eyes are fixed on him, patiently waiting. “I saw him on campus.” _He smiled at me_ , he doesn’t say. 

“If he wanted to talk to you, he wouldn’t have just run away like that.” Makoto crosses her arms. “Seeing him there must have been a coincidence, which means he must go to the same university as you.”

Ryuji looks doubtful. “What are the chances of _that_? And besides, maybe he’s just being a cryptic bastard.”

Makoto acknowledges that with a nod but still looks frustrated. “I don’t understand why he wouldn’t come to us.”

Ren thinks he knows why, and Ann says what’s on both of their minds. “He doesn’t know how to face us. After what happened…”

“He did betray us and try to kill Ren,” Yusuke says flatly. Ren grimaces at the reminder. It’s...hard, thinking back on it. While he’s glad to know that Akechi is alive, that particular memory isn’t one that he’s fond of, obviously.

Haru sends him a sad look. “A part of me will never forgive him. But I would like to at least thank him for saving our lives in the engine room.”

They all agree on that. Ren wants to find him, let him know that not everything was his fault. They were both used by the false god, and life had dealt them unfair cards. “I don’t know how to find him now that we’re on break from school.”

Futaba, who has been unusually quiet, raises her hand. “I have an idea.” She raises her phone, at which she’s been tapping away for the entire meeting so far. On the screen is the Phansite, with a message from the administrator: _Crow. Meet us at the usual place the day after Christmas at noon if you see this._

“Think he’ll see it?” Morgana asks, frowning as much as a cat can. Ren has to admit, it’s a bit unlikely. But…

“It’s better than nothing,” he decides. Although it depends on Akechi actually looking at the Phansite, it’s a chance that he’s willing to take.

* * *

On the evening of Christmas day, the Phantom Thieves return to their respective homes after having frolicked around for the entire day. Ren resolves to wake up early to head to Leblanc tomorrow.

Akechi is nowhere to be seen on the next day. Ren expected this, but he can’t help but feel down.

His friends come and go throughout the day, and he remains until the cafe closes and Sojiro leaves with a sympathetic look in his direction.

Still, he lingers. He wanders the streets that he used to occupy with his friends, busy as a Phantom Thief and as a student. And as the clock hits midnight on the 27th, Ren spots him loitering in the laundromat, looking unsure for the first time in his life.


	2. Chapter 2

“This isn’t the usual place,” Ren points out. Akechi almost looks sheepish, so he lets it go. “You’re alive.”

“Well, I would hope so,” he quips with a weary smile. “Otherwise, you’d be talking to a ghost in a laundromat.”

Wouldn’t that make for quite a story? But just to make sure, Ren steps forward and tentatively grips at Akechi’s sleeve. Definitely solid and real.

He can see the dark circles under Akechi’s eyes, even as he gives Ren an amused look. “Done checking to see if I’m a specter?”

Now it’s Ren’s turn to be embarrassed. He takes a step back and nods. “That day, on campus…”

“That was me, yes.” His lips twitch downward into a frown. “I was not ready.”

Neither was Ren, if he’s being honest with himself. “You must have seen our message.” There’s no other reason Akechi would be here, so close to Leblanc.

“I did, but only after noon had passed. After that...well. I had quite a debate with myself about whether or not I should come anyway.” Akechi sighs. “As the day ended, I decided that I wanted to at least revisit the place, for old time’s sake. I didn’t know you would actually wait for me.”

“I’m not sure why I waited, myself.” But he’s glad that he did, regardless of his...complicated feelings about Akechi.

The two of them continue standing there, awkwardness beginning to seep into the air. Now that Akechi is finally in front of him, Ren doesn’t know what to say. Apologize for failing to save him? Ask about how his life has been?

Akechi chooses the latter. “How has your life been, Amamiya?” There’s forced pleasantness in his voice, so clearly the tension is getting to him as well.

Ren glances around and wonders if they should be having this conversation somewhere else, where the clunking of washers and dryers won’t drown out their voices so much. He steps outside and looks back, and Akechi follows him as he makes his way through the alley. “It’s been fine,” he says quietly, once they are side-by-side. He doesn’t know what else to say. Is Akechi really interested in his daily life? It seems more likely that he’s just looking for something to say.

“I see,” Akechi says. Ren can’t tell what he’s thinking, and he wonders if he should break out the big question. Before he can even open his mouth, Akechi looks at him with a raised brow. “You want to know how I survived and where I’ve been.”

No more frivolities, huh? “That’d be nice.” He’d entertained thoughts about this situation before; he used to contemplate what Akechi would be doing with his life if he were alive. Now that the man is in front of him, Ren doesn’t really know what to expect.

“Simply put, I was a better shot than my cognitive double. I can’t say that I made it out of the Palace completely unscathed, but at least I survived.” He sounds bitter. The memory is clearly an unpleasant one.

“What happened after that?” he asks. Did he have anyone to take care of him? Akechi always seemed so alone, even when he was with the Phantom Thieves for that brief period of time.

“I patched myself up and lay low. But I was still connected enough to realize that the public’s cognition of me and the Phantom Thieves was changing. It was convenient in helping me more or less disappear, but I knew that something was wrong. And then I saw you and that god.”

Ren meets his eyes. The fight with Yaldabaoth. He wonders if Akechi was among the voices that cheered him on. “You didn’t come back to us then.” It’s not an accusation, and he makes sure that his tone is neutral. Akechi scowls nonetheless.

“As if I could. Don’t get me wrong, I would have come back even earlier to kill Shido if I’d been well. But after that opportunity had passed, there wasn’t much to keep me going.”

There’s a lot he could say here — something about not letting Akechi kill Shido or not letting him be alone. But neither is what he wants or needs to hear. “And now?”

Akechi shrugs, a twisted form of a smile on his face. “You saw me. I attend university, I pretend that my life has _meaning_.” He eyes Ren with a feeling that he can’t identify. “No one has caught my interest since I met you, Amamiya.”

Ren thinks back to when his life had crumbled after society had labeled him a criminal. He’d been alone in the city, forced to adapt and atone for something he’d done _right_. He remembers the connections that he made and wonders if he can help Akechi do the same. 

“You need friends,” he says bluntly. Akechi looks taken aback, though he doesn’t avert his eyes.

“Are you offering?” he asks snidely, but Ren senses the uncertainty present in the core of his being. The way he holds himself, the way he speaks...it’s an act most of the time, but not at the moment. 

Ren knows the feeling, so he can tell when the honesty slips through the mask. “Yes, I am.” He won’t back down from this; he wants the chance to reforge those broken bonds with Akechi.

It doesn’t take long for him to recover. Akechi gives him a small, befuddled smile. “I see. You’re a strange one, Amamiya. But I’ve known that since the day I met you.” 

There’s still a barrier between the two of them, unspoken words from the past creating tension that won’t be resolved for a long time. But when Akechi nods and agrees to meet him again, he counts it as a win.


	3. Chapter 3

He doesn’t meet Akechi again for another week, but they exchange a fair number of texts before then. It’s definitely awkward at first, neither wanting to delve into heavier topics over the phone but not really knowing how to initiate small talk.

Then Ann makes a suggestion. “Send him pictures throughout your day,” she says, taking a sip of her coffee. She immediately shudders and sets the cup down. Ren doesn’t know why she tries drinking it when she’s fully aware that she doesn’t like the strong taste. 

“My day isn’t very interesting,” he says quietly, and she rolls her eyes.

“Then _make_ it interesting! Come on, let’s go buy me some crepes.”

He eyes her suspiciously but gets up from his seat, grabbing his bag. She just grins at him in response and leads him out of Leblanc by the wrist. The bag gets jostled on the way out, and an indignant _mrrp_ escapes from the inside as Morgana pokes his head out. “Seriously? Didn’t you two _just_ sit down?”

Ann laughs lightly and lets go of Ren’s wrist. “I need something sweet after that coffee! No offense to your brewing skills, of course. I guess I’m just not a coffee person.”

“I don’t think we can be friends anymore,” he deadpans, and she rolls her eyes at him. The three of them alternate between mindless chatter and thoughtful silence until she points at the crepe shop sign and nudges him.

“Take a picture of that. Ask him if he’s ever been!”

Ren thinks back to some pictures that he had seen of Goro and figures that he already has, but he does as she says, sending off the message and tucking his phone away before buying something for Ann and himself. He’s not a big crepe person, but the strawberry and banana one that he’s tried before is pretty good. He’s about to snap another picture when his phone lights up with a text. 

**Goro:** _I enjoyed the cinnamon one when I was there_

Ren smiles and sends him the shot of his crepe before taking a bite. Ann is giving him a strange look, so he turns to face her. “What?”

“You look happy!” She gestures at his phone, trying not to drop her snack. “You got a text from him, didn’t you?”

“I always look happy,” he says drily. When he doesn’t deny her question, she just _hmphs_ and takes a bite, somehow looking triumphant as she does so. His own crepe tastes pretty good, and he thinks he might have to revise his opinion on them. 

“Can I have some?” a surprisingly meek voice comes from the bag. Ren raises a brow.

“I didn’t think you liked these. You can have some of the banana, if you want.”

While Morgana contentedly nibbles on the piece that Ren gave him, he checks his phone again. He’s about halfway done with his crepe when a message comes through.

 **Ryuji:** _dude u gotta stop buying ann those crepes ur gonna go broke_

 **Ren:** _I know. Maybe I’ll pick up another part-time job._

 **Ryuji:** _dont u already have like 20?!_

Ren chuckles and finishes off the last of his crepe. Ann looks up from her own sweet treat to give him a suspicious glare. “Ryuji’s trying to convince you to stop buying me stuff, isn’t he?”

“Yep.” He wipes his hand with a napkin before throwing it away. Morgana shifts around in his bag before settling into a comfortable position.

 **Goro:** _Ignoring my flavor suggestions, I see_

 **Ren:** _Hey, is it okay to give cats bananas?_

There’s a small pause between his message and Goro’s reply, during which Ann finishes her crepe and tries to peek at his phone screen.

 **Goro:** _...Why would you think I would know anything about that_

 **Ren:** _Aren’t you, like, smart?_

 **Goro:** _Remind me why I started talking to you again?_

Ann punches him in the shoulder, even as a laugh threatens to escape her lips “Why are you like this?”

Ren shrugs and puts his phone away after texting a brief apology, feeling Morgana’s impatient movements in the bag. “I’ll text him when I get back to my apartment. Are you headed home?”

Ann shakes her head and gives him a quick hug. “Nah, I’m meeting up with Shiho soon. See you later, Ren!”

He sees her off with a wave before checking the watch that Ryuji had given him. It’s almost 4PM, but he has nothing else that he needs to do for the day. When he manages to procure a seat on the subway, he takes out his phone and opens the chat log with Akechi.

 **Goro:** _Are you busy next weekend?_

 **Ren:** _No. Want to meet up?_

 **Goro:** _Yes, at Leblanc. I’ve missed the coffee_

 **Goro:** _See you at noon on Sunday. If you somehow manage to wake up before then_

 **Ren:** _:(_

Ren smiles. As far as plans go, this shouldn’t be anything exciting; and yet, the thought of drinking coffee and chatting with Akechi again makes his heart feel just a little bit lighter. 

He gets off on the next stop and walks the rest of the way. Morgana pops his head out once they’re out of the subway, and he tilts his head curiously at Ren. “What’s up? You have a weird look on your face.”

Does he? Ren wiggles his phone before pocketing it. “Made plans with Akechi. We’re meeting up at Leblanc next week.”

“I’m coming with you,” Morgana says immediately. “And Futaba’s probably going to be monitoring the place.”

Ren understands the caution, though he’ll never tell Akechi about it. He does seem to have changed quite a bit since their separation, after all. “Okay. What do you want for dinner?”

Morgana’s answer is predictable, but not unwelcome. Ren’s been craving a bit of sushi anyway, so he picks some up on the way home for the two of them.


End file.
